Some tips for your trip in Tokyo, Japan

Today, I want to talk about some tips about the trip in Tokyo. I really think this basic understanding would make your trip better.

Tokyo is very very big city. It looks small but it is so tightly packed with a lot of wonderful things that you would be get lost if you don’t have a guide book. I’ve lived in Tokyo for over 10 years, so I think I am entitled to talk about the appeal of Tokyo.

First, Choose what you want to travel and experience in Tokyo!

If you are planning to come to Tokyo, you’d better choose what you want to experience in Tokyo in advance. This is because Tokyo have tons of places you should visit. I often see foreign people who grab a guide book and seem get lost.

If you are an art adorer, you are able to enjoy classical Japanese art and recent one in bunch of museums. Please check it out this site, http://japan-city.com/tokyo/htmb/bji101.html , this site introduce almost all of the museums in Tokyo. ( you can check each of museums by clicking a left side of links.)

Likewise, if you are interested in Japanese sub culture like manga, maid café, and otaku culture, maybe you may want to visit Akihabara. Around the Akihabara Station, there are large, sophisticated, and a little weird arcade and you can enjoy the distinct atmosphere created by this culture.

I have a friend who is from the U.S. and came to Tokyo last year. He said to me that “I was really enjoyed this beautiful and sophisticated city! But unfortunately, 3-days trip was not enough to make me satisfied.” He used to live in other city in Japan as an English teacher but such a guy couldn’t enjoy this city enough.

Second, make sure how to use Metro in Tokyo.

Metro is the best way to travel in Tokyo. Metro is the key on your trip. It’s cheaper than taxi and Uber. Every 2-3 minutes, A train comes and takes us to great places! It is easy to move as trains run punctually. The point you should be careful about Metro is that the Metro was so well-developed that the system is a little complicated and I think you might have a difficulty in that.

this Japanese news says that the Metro in Tokyo seems like Labyrinth to tourists. To tell the truth, when I went to Tokyo for the first time, I was really confused because I also wandered into “the maze of the Metro.”

Here is a tip. First of all, you can download the app “Tokyo Subway Navigation for Tourist.”

This app allows you guys to be calm down and make a better choice. Moreover, each station has station attendants you can ask the way to the place in English. They would help you. So, don’t worry about that.

Finally, ask Japanese people whatever you want to know.

Personally, I like traveling various places in the world. One thing I personally like to do when traveling is to communicate with people even though they are just passerby.

Generally Japanese people are not good at speaking and listening English. When I was a college student in Tokyo, I was always upset to be talked with foreign people because I could not get any words they uttered to me even though I wanted to help them in my heart. Some research said that more than 60% of Japanese people have felt nervous when talked with foreign people in English.

I think Japanese people are really kind to foreign people, so I recommend you to ask Japanese people about anything in Japanese. If you use Japanese only at first of the talk, Japanese people would open up their mind and look after you with tender care. This is because this means you are trying to get used to Japanese culture and Japanese people come to know that. Your attitude toward the country you visit change your whole experiences.

Here are some useful expressions when it comes to starting talking to Japanese people.

1: su-mi-ma-sen-ga (すみませんが) this means “excuse me.”

2: (The place you want to go) wa-do-co-de-su-ka (~はどこですか)

this means “May I ask how I can get to the place, or where is the place?”